NBA Gambling Trends: Raptors have been a decent bet without Bargnani

Despite the loss of Andrea Bargnani (20 games), Toronto Raptors head coach Dwane Casey has been relatively pleased with the development of his team. While Bargnani has an obvious impact of the team's straight up results, the Raptors have managed to be profitable without him on the floor.

With Bargnani: 6-7 SU, 7-6 ATS
Without Bargnani: 3-16 SU, 11-8-1 ATS

“I’ve seen some good signs,” Casey said. “Even with those [games with Bargnani out of the lineup], we were right there with some good teams.”

College Basketball Betting: San Diego State limps into Wyoming game

Despite the names on their jerseys, there is currently little to no difference between San Diego State and Wyoming statistically. Ken Pom has SDSU ranked No. 62 while Wyoming is No. 65. The Aztecs efficiency margin is a modest +0.2 in conference play while the Cowboys are -0.1. Both teams have also lost three straight. SDSU is still in the hunt for a tournament berth with wins over Cal, Long Beach, UNLV and New Mexico but things may change if they fail to close out the season strong.

"I think we have to make sure that we remain determined and believing in ourselves," coach Steve Fisher said. "I think when you lose a game and then lose another game, you start to wonder. And then you lose a third game that

Illinois State has made is clear that it doesn't want Wichita State celebrating a Missouri Valley regular season title on its home court. The Redbirds trailed by as much as 19 against the Shocker earlier this season but rallied back and eventually lost by three.

"It gives us a lot of confidence," said ISU sophomore Jon Ekey of the first meeting. "They're playing really well right now, but we know we can play with them. We know what we need to do to be successful and what we can't do."

As for Wichita, they are about as close to being "fat and happy" as a team can get. They beat Creighton by 21 in Omaha and crushed a solid Davidson squad on the road during Read more

11-game win streak be damned! Bettors were caught off guard last night when San Antonio Spurs head coach Greg Popovich announced that Tim Duncan and Tony Parker would sit against Portland. It was the second of a back-to-back and the team's eight straight on the road – annual "Rodeo Trip". The Trail Blazers were hovering around -4 and -4.5 but when news broke bettors drove the line up to as high as -8.5. It didn't matter as Portland cruised to a 137-97 victory. Interesting to note that while Popovich clearly understands his players and the bigger picture, Portland head coach Nate McMillian had starter Gerald Wallace on the floor with his team up 40 in the fourth quarter. Wesley Matthews was also present and ended up spraining his ankle. It was Portland's last game before the All-Star break but there is still no excuse for not having the ball boy out there. San Antonio closes out the first half at Denver on Thursday.

“We’ve gone that way before, but really you play or you don’t," Popovich said. "You

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NBA Handicapping: Los Angeles Lakers hold players-only meeting

Following yesterday's 103-92 win over Portland, the Los Angeles Lakers reportedly had a players-only meeting to discuss the focus for the remainder of the season. With today off, the team preps for back-to-back road games against Dallas and Oklahoma City to close out the first half.

Some players are upset about what they perceive to be an ever-changing rotation and the up-and-down distribution of minutes, sources said. Others aren't liking the long practices and shootarounds, while still others have bristled at Brown's heavy-handed approach, as opposed to Jackson's more laid-back style.

The players were not happy that after beating Phoenix at home Friday night and flying to Phoenix Saturday afternoon, they had to get up for a 10 a.m. shootaround Sunday morning. With Sunday's game starting at 6 p.m., it would've been more typical to skip the morning shootaround in exchange for a pregame walk-through. One player said the Lakers' body language and attitude at the shootaround was poor and that

Based on this article (and don't forget the crappy play), if a sportsbook were to put odds on whether or not Illinois head coach Bruce Weber will be around in Champaign next season, 500-1 on “yes” would be too generous. Very interested to see what occurs against Ohio State in Columbus tonight.

MLB Handicapping: Helpful publications for bettors

The MLB season is right around the corner and on cue, Baseball Prospectus released its 2012 annual (only $15). The information can at times be overwhelming but it still remains a must have for bettors. Another good tool is Baseball America's Prospect Handbook. You won’t find more accurate analysis on up-and-coming players. Nice to have late in the season when you see “0-0, 0.00 ERA” on the betting card.

When Kansas State and Missouri met last month in Manhattan, the Wildcats were able to take away one of the Tigers’ biggest strengths by avoiding turnovers that would have inevitably lead to fast break buckets the other way. K-State was also able to dominate the glass, with a 36-22 rebounding edge. The result was a 75-59 KSU win as a one-point underdog; an easy “right side” cash for anyone who supported Frank Martin’s squad.

In the rematch tonight, the Wildcats are nine-point underdogs. Yes, Missouri is in revenge from that earlier defeat. And yes, Missouri is a perfect 16-0 in Columbia this year, cashing pointspread at a 70% clip on their home floor. That still doesn’t mean that the Tigers are likely to win this game by a double-digit margin. Let’s not forget that if the Tigers don’t force Read more

Red Wings' win streak shows just how easy sports betting can be

Nothing like a win streak to bring out the “what if” betting talk. The Detroit Red Wings have won 23 straight home games. As it was pointed out by numerous media outlets (Caesars oddmakers Todd Fuhrman was the original source), if you somehow knew that on November 5th the Red Wings would beat Anaheim...and their next 22 opponents, you'd be up $3.9 million after rolling over an initial bet of $100. How did we miss that one?

College Basketball Free Play: New Mexico Lobos at Colorado State Rams

Following a pair of convincing redemption wins over San Diego State and UNLV, the New Mexico Lobos (22-4) have taken control of the Mountain West Conference at 8-2. They hold a two-game lead over SDSU and UNLV, and tonight’s contest is their toughest remaining conference game. Tough to step in front of the red hot Lobos when they are playing so well: 7-0 SU and ATS run with every win by at least 10 points.

Consider that the Lobos are winning with a dominating defense that has held six opponents to 54 or fewer points the last seven games. They also lead the league in rebounding margin which gives them a sound formula for success. The league’s top two FG shooters are on the Lobos with their inside/outside combination of Drew Gordon (52%) and Kendal Williams (53%). Gordon also leads the league in rebounding at over 11 per game. Add in the top field goal and Read more

College Basketball Handicapping: Last home games and motivational situations

Some of the strongest situations involving revenging home teams playing their last home game are on the schedule the next two weeks. While many of these focused favorites will deliver wins on senior day in emotional environments, the most powerful profiles often involve those home teams with winning records that have the talent and ability to get redemption over an opponent which beat them earlier in the year. Clearly we have to evaluate the betting line along with stats, injuries, recent results, opponents and the situations surrounding these last home games.

I’ve done the research for you and provided the teams that will be playing their last home game with single season revenge over the next week. These are all winning home teams. Last year on the last Saturday in February, the winning and revenging home teams playing their final home game went 8-1 ATS. So some strong situations to support over the next two weeks over and above the ones I review in this article.

If you don’t have the time, energy or ability to determine how to use strong or weak home courts, last home games (LHG), emotional components or other stats and situations to your Read more

NBA Handicapping: Road warrior San Antonio Spurs win 11th straight

Last night, the San Antonio Spurs won their 11 straight with a 106-102 victory at Utah. Tonight's game in Portland will mark the Spurs' eight straight road tilt. It is also a back-to-back situation, something that has yet to really trouble this team (6-2 SU, 5-3-1 ATS). Meanwhile, the Trail Blazers are also in a back-to-back having lost in LA last night – a spot that has given them difficulty (3-8 SU, 4-7 ATS) this season.

SEC Betting Notes: Mississippi State tries to take down Kentucky

If you can't beat Georgia, LSU and Auburn, then how do you expect to take down the best team in the nation? That is what currently slumping Mississippi State must deal with tonight in Starkville as Kentucky comes strolling to town. We know the Bulldogs are capable and the Wildcats are due for a loss – aren't they?. But if both teams bring their "B" game, the road side wins by double-digits.

“It’s life and death. It means everything for our season,” said senior point guard and team leader Jordan Theodore. “We have a chance to make the (NCAA) tournament. We can solidify our spot in the tournament if we get this win.”

But before you support the Pirates in this "must win" situation, consider the following...

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